William j



(No Model.) T

- W. J. MORTON.

TELEPHONE TRANSMITTER.

No. 400.591. 'PatentedA pr. 2, 1889.

Hill! FIN/58858:

N. PETERS. FhoIn-Ulhflgmphnr. Washingion, I)v Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMJ. MORTON, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE-"TRANSMITTER.

QPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 400,591, dated April 2, 1889; Application filed February 17, 1883- Renewed February 7; 1889. Serial No. 299,088. (No model) To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. MORTON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of telephone-transmitters in which the resistancevarying material is a mass of comminuted conducting material; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the instrument, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my transmitter as arranged in an i'nclosing-case. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the instrument separately. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the diaphragm or sound-receiving plate. Fig. 4 is a section on the line as a:

' of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar section showing inder E.

the use of a wider separating-ring.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. 1

A is a ring-shaped case, preferably of hard rubber or other insulating material, and having a sloping inner periphery, as shown. The lower part of case A is shouldered to receive a plate, B, of carbon. Plate B is retained in place by means of the circular wire spring 0,

Fig. 1, which fits tightly within the opening just outside said plate.

D is a diaphragm or sound-receiving body, which I make preferably of cork. This diaphragm may or may not be secured to the lower face of case A, as desired. In Figs. 4 and ,5 it is shown as fastened tothe case A by screws. In Fig. 1 it is shown not fastened. Inthe center of diaphragm D is a cylindrical body of carbon, E, shouldered at its upper extremity to receive a thin ring or fiat annular piece F, of rubber, paper, or other lnsulating material. In the center'of plate B is an aperture in which said carbon cylinder E freely enters. At the upper part of said aperture said plate B is shouldered to receive the outer edge of ring F. A quantity of comminuted carbon, G, is placed in the box A and rests upon said plate B and the upper face of cyl- The upper part of box A is shouldered to receive a cover, H, and said cover is held in place by the circular spring 1.

One end of the line-wire is connected to the plate B, the other end to the cylinder E. The circuit then proceeds from the line-terminal to plate B, to the comminuted carbon, G, to cylinder E, and so to the other line-terminal, or vice versa. The mass of comminuted carbon, G, therefore, serves as a bridge between plate 'B and cylinder E. The current is prevented from passing directly from plate B to cylinder E, or vice versa, by the air space or interval between said cylinder and said plate. When vocal or other sounds are produced in front of the diaphragm D, said diaphragm and the cylinder E are set in vibration. The motion so caused is communicated to the mass of comminuted carbon, G, and in accordance with laws -now well known the current traversing said mass of carbon between the electrodes B and E is modified so as to be capable of affecting a telephone-receiver connected in circuit, so as to cause said receiver to reproduce said original sounds.

\Vhile the presence of the tight cover H enables me to use the instrument in any position so long as the loose carbon is in contact with the electrodes B and E, I prefer to arrange it as shown in the drawings that is, with the diaphragmliorizontal. The effect of the vertically-vibrating cylinder B is then to throw the carbon resting upon it constantly upward. The loose particles,-meeting the slopingsides of the containing-box A, are directed downward again toward the cylinder E, so that the circulation of said particles is maintained substantially as indicated by the small arrows in Fig. 4. In this way any packing of the carbon upon the electrodes is prevented.

The ring F should be of flexible insulating material, such as thin rubber. Its object is to support the loose carbon and to prevent the same entering and filling the space between the cylinder B and the plate E. The

width of the ring obviously governs the horitice.

J is a tube or sound-receiving chamber of metal, which is here shown secured upon the door L of the inclosing-case M and directly in rear of an opening, K, in said door. Said tube J supports a cup-shaped receptacle, N, which has a sound-receiving opening in its bottom, with which the small end of tube J communicates, as shown. The ring-shaped case A and operating parts of the telephone therewith combined are placed in said receptacle, and the diaphragm D rests upon shoulder O, and is so supported with its central portion not in contact with the bottom of said receptacle. In this way a thin air-space or sound-receiving chamber is formed between the opening of tube J and the diaphragm D. The tube J is substantially conical in form, so that the airwaves are cony erged upon the center of diaphragm D.

For convenience a connecting-wire, P, is secured to the cylinder E and extends along the under side of diaphragm D. To this wire the wire Q is secured, which leads from linebinding post 1. The other line-binding post, 2, connects by wire R with carbon plate B, as already suggested.

The use of the ring F of insulating material will depend in some measure upon the size of the particles of loose carbon. If these particles be too large to enter the space between cylinder E and plate B, the ring F may be omitted; but otherwise it is desirable that the ring should be present, for the reasons already stated.

I claim- 1. A telephone containing a fixed electrode having an opening, a movable electrode entering and loosely moving in said opening, an independently vibrating support carrying said movable electrode, the said electrodes each having a surface disposed substantially in the same plane, and amass of comminuted conducting material in contact with said surfaces, substantially as described.

2. A telephone containing a fixed electrode having an opening, a movable electrode entering and loosely moving in said opening, an independently vibrating support carrying said movable electrode, the said electrodes each having a surface disposed substantially in the same plane, a mass of comminuted conducting material in contact with said electrodes, and a body of insulating material extending across the interval between said electrode supported therein, a diaphragm, an

electrode projecting from said diaphragm and entering an opening in said plate-electrode,

and contained within said case or ring aloose mass of comminuted conducting material in contact with said electrodes, substantially as described. I

4. A telephone containing an inclosing case or ring of insulating material horizontally disposed and having a downwardly-inclined inner periphery, a horizontal plate or partition of conducting material having a central opening and secured at the lower portion of said case, a diaphragm supported below and parallel to said plate, a block of conducting material on the upper side of said diaphragm loosely entering said opening in said plate, and amass of comminuted conducting material resting upon said block and said plate, substantially as described.

5. A telephone containing an inclosing case or ring of insulating material horizontally disposed and having a downwardly-inclined inner periphery, a horizontal plate or partition of conduct-ing material having a circular central opening and secured at the lower portion of said case, a diaphragm supported below and parallel to said plate, a cylindrical block of conducting material on the upper side of said diaphragm and loosely entering said opening in said plate, a ring of insulating material resting upon said cylinder and said plate, and a mass of comminuted conducting material resting upon said cylinder and said plate, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the ring or case A, carbon plate B, containing a central opening, diaphragm D, carbon cylinder E therein, loose ring F of non-conducting material, and a loose mass, G, of comminuted carbon in contact with said cylinder and said plate, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the ring or case A, carbon plate B, having a central opening, diaphragm D, carbon cylinder E therein, loose ring of non-conducting material, F, a mass, G, of comminuted conducting material incontact with said plate and said cylinder, and cover H, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the box M, hinged door L, having opening K, tube J, secured to said door, cup-shaped receptacle N, supported by said tube and having a central opening communicating with said tube, and the ring or case A, containing carbon plate B, having a central opening, diaphragm D, carbon cylinder E thereon, loose ring F of non-conducting material, and a mass, G, of comminuted conducting material in contact with said plate and cylinder, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM J. MORTON.

Witnesses:

D. H. DRISCOLL, PARK BENJAMIN. 

